Gauge finishing



Nov. 26, 1946. L. scusA 2,411,814

GAUGE FINISHING Filed Sept. 26, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fiq. 1

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1 I I 16E? l I 22 T INVENTOR.

1 Lino Scusa.

L. SCUSA .GAUGE FINISHING Nov. 26, 1946.

Filed Sept. 26;, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

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Ar-ronnEY FIG. 7-

Patented Nov. 26, 1946 UNITED STATES PATENT E.

Application September 26, 1944, Serial No. 555,825

12 Claims. 1

The invention relates to improvements in gauge finishing, and is particularly adapted for finishing to smooth, planar and parallel form the opposed work contacting faces of the anvil portions or elements of snap and other gauges.

The general purpose of the invention is to provide an efficient, economical and time-saving method and apparatus whereby a gauge having an unfinished work contacting or anvil surface which desirably should be smooth and truly planar, may be so treated as to finish said surface of the gauge to the desired condition, and whereby an unfinished snap or other gauge having two opposed work contacting or anvil surfaces may be so treated as to bring said two surfaces into true parallelism and bring each of said surfaces to a smooth and truly planar condition.

A further purpose of the invention is to accomplish the aforesaid ends by grinding and polishing the work contacting surfaces of an otherwise structurally complete gauge.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide for efiicient, rapid and easy manipulation of the unfinished gauge for separately finishing first one and then the other of the two opposed or oppositely facing work contacting or anvil faces of the gauge in a series of stages to a very smooth and truly planar condition.

A further purpose of the invention is to provide an efficient apparatus for accomplishing the above ends in an easy and time saving manner, which apparatus preferably includes means whereby it may be easily kept in condition for efiicient operation.

Other purposes and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description in detail of the construction and mode of operation of a preferred form of apparatus embodying the invention.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view, partly in vertical section, on the line l--! of Figure 6, showing a preferred form of apparatus embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a detail sectional view on the line 22 of Figure 1; I

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a detail view showing in elevation one of thethree adjustably mounted bearing sleeves hereinafter described for the three shafts carrying the three finishing wheels of the apparatus, and also showing the mounting of the sleeve on the main framework;

Figure 5 is a'plan view of the parts shown in Figure 41 Figure 6 is a top plan view of the apparatus;

Figure 7 is a detail view showing a portion of the gauge supporting and manipulating means in elevation with a part thereof broken away for clarity of illustration of certain details of constructions; and

- Figure 8 is a detail sectional view on line 8-8 of Figure 7.

The apparatus shown has a hollow base frame portion Ill provided with a horizontal top wall; Three electric motors I l are mounted within the base portion [0 with their drive shafts extending vertically. Each motor is rigidly held to the base portion by a suitable supporting means 12 with the motors equally spaced around a common vertical axis passing centrally through the base portion. vertically, are equidistant from said common axis, and are connected at their upper ends by known flexible driving couplings I4 with the lower ends of different ones of three upstanding shafts l5. Three upstanding shaft-supporting sleeves I6 are adjustably held to the base portion H) with said sleeves equally spaced around and from the aforesaid axis around which the motors are spaced. The shafts I5 extend through the sleeves l5, and each sleeve carries at its upper and lower ends suitable ball bearing journaling means I! and I8 for the shaft which extends through the sleeve.

The lower end portion of each sleeve extends loosely through a different one of three circular apertures l9 formed in the top wall of the base portion 10, the diameter of the apertures being greater than that of the sleeve portion extending through the aperture. Above thesaid topwall each sleeve is formed with an annular external flange 20. Three stud bolts 2| extend through the flange 28 of each sleeve, and each such bolt has a lower screw-threaded end portion screwed into a different one of three threaded holes provided in the top wall of the base portion at points equally spaced around the sleeve. Three set screws 22 are screwed through equally spaced threaded apertures in the sleeve flange 29 with their lower ends bearing against the upper surface of the top wall of the base portion 10, the set screws and bolts alternating around the sleeve as shown. By adjusting the bolts and set screws the several shafts l5 and their supporting sleeves 16 may all be brought into exact parallelism.

.The apparatus has three different gauge finishing wheels 23, 24 and 25 each of which is removably clamped on the reduced upper end portion of a dilierent one of the three shafts I5 The drive shafts of the motors extend for rotation of each wheel with its driving shaft I5. A washer W is provided at each face of each wheel. The wheel 23 is a coarse grinding wheel, the wheel 24 is a fine grinding wheel, and the wheel 25 is a lapping or polishing wheel. The three wheels are supported for rotation in one and the same general horizontal plane, and each wheel has its upper and lower faces annularly recessed between its axis and perimeter for a, substantial portion of the radial dimension of the wheel to provide an annular active face portion at each face of the wheel, which active face portions in the construction shown have their outer edges at the periphery of the wheel. annular face portions FF of each wheel are flat and are in parallelism.

The following described means are provided for truing up the active face portions FF' of the Wheels initially, and also periodically as the wheels become worn, and for supporting and manipulating a gauge to finish its work-contactin face portions.

against axial movement, a hardened washer 29 being interposed between the hub of the hand wheel and the upper end of bearing means 21, and a hardened washer 39 being interposed between the lower end of said bearing means and a retaining nut 31 which is threaded on the lower end of shaft 26.

A short horizontal arm 32 has fixed thereto a pivot pin 33 which is journaled in a bearing hole 34 formed in the inwardly extending upper end portion of a bracket or standard 3.5. The bracket 35 forms part of the fixed framework of the apparatus, said bracket being of substantially inverted L-shape and having its lower end detachably fixed to base portion It by bolts 36. Pivot pin 33 and shaft 26 are coaxial, and the common axis about which this pin and shaft turn is the above mentioned common vertical axis about which the wheels 23, 2d and 25 and their drive shafts are spaced. The distance from the axis of each finishing wheel to this common axis of pivot 33 and shaft 2'5 is the same.

A vertical post or rod 3'5 has its upper end fixed to arm 32 and its lower end fixed to the hub of the hand wheel 28 at points equidistant from the aforesaid common axis, the shaft 26, hand wheel 28, post 3?, arm 32 and pivot pin 33 forming, in effect, a manually oscillative crank shaft journaled in the framework for oscillation about a vertical axis. The rod or post 3.7, which forms the wrist of this hand operated crank shaft, carries means for supporting or holding a gauge for oscillation with the said rod or crank Wrist for finishing of the gauge by the wheels 23, 24 and 25, and said rod also carries grinding means for oscillation with the rod or crank wrist to act on the wheels for so truing the active face portions of the wheels that the uppermost active face portions of all three wheels will lie in a common plane normal to the axis of said crank shaft and the lower most active face portions of all three wheels will lie in a common plane normal to said axis. The wheel surface truing means and the gauge supporting or holding means are constructed and The two arranged for adjustment of the wheel grinding elements and of the gauge supporting elements, hereinafter described, both axially and transversely of the crank shaft axis.

A sleeve 38 embraces the rod or post 31 for axial sliding adjustment of the sleeve along the post. A vertical rack 39 is pendant from and fixed to the arm 32, as by having the upper end of the rack fixedly secured in a notch in the arm by a screw or bolt 40. The rack extends downward alongside of, but spaced outwardly from, the sleeve. fixed to the sleeve with its crossbar contacting the outer face of the rack to brace the rack. The teeth of the rack project toward the sleeve, or the path of movement of the sleeve, at the inner face of the rack. A pinion 52 is fixed on a shaft 43 which is journaled in the side arms of yoke ll with the teeth of the pinion in mesh with the teeth of the rack, said pinion being located between the rack and the sleeve. The pinion shaft 53 has a hand wheel 44 fixed on one end thereof for rotating the pinion to adjust the sleeve 38 up and down on the post or rod 31. The inter-engagement of the yoke, rack, pinion and sleeve prevents rotation of the sleeve about the rod or post 31.

For micrometric final and exact adjustment of the vertical position of the sleeve 38 relatively to the rod 31 and the finishing wheels, a resilient split clamping collar 45 is slidably mounted on the rod 31. A hand screw 46 connects the split ends of the collar for releasing the grip of the collar on the rod 31 to permit the collar to slide with the sleeve 3.8 when the pinion 42 is rotated, and. also to clamp the collar immovably to the rod for final micrometric of the sleeve, as desired. A helical spring 4'! surrounds the rod and abuts the adjacent ends of the collar and sleeve. A micrometer screw 48 is threaded through the collar, and the lower end of said screw abuts the outer arm of a twoarmed lever it. This lever is fulcrumed at 5i! on the collar with its inner arm engaged under a lip or projection 5| formed on the upper end 'of the sleeve.

A finger wheel 52 is fixed to the micrometer screw for turning the screw to effect any desired final adjustment of the sleeve along the rod or post.

A'vertical undercut groove or key-way 53 is formed in the sleeve 38 and extends longitudinally of the sleeve and of the rod or post 37 parallel to the axis of oscillation of the latter. Two superposed and horizontally extending arms fi l and 55 are held at one end thereof to the sleeve 38, each arm being formed adjacent one end thereof with a key, as 55, fitting in key-way 53'. The lower arm 55 is preferably fixed to the sleeve by a pin 5?, while the upper arm 5 is adjustable Vertically on the sleeve and is clamped in adjusted position by a thumb-screw E18 threaded through the arm 54 and its key 56 into abutting engagement with the bottom wall of the key-way 53. This arrangement permits relative adjustment of the arms 53 and 55 to Vary the extent to which said arms are vertically spaced from each other.

The arms 54 and 55 have, respectively, extensions 54a and 55a slidably held in known manner in undercut ways (such as 59) formed in the respective arms and extending horizontally longitudinally of the arms, so that each arm is in effect a two-part extensible arm. The extensions 54a and 5511 are locked in adjusted position by thumb screws (such as 60) threaded through the arms to A yoke 4| has its side arms abut-the extensions. The outer end of eachof said extensions carries a holding or mounting ele- I ment for the gauge to be finished and also carries I agrinding tool for truing' up the gauge-finishing ing" ends opposed to each other and spaced'apart farther than the thickness of the grinding wheels. Any suitable means may be provided for holding each tool rigidly, and preferably adjustably, to the associated arm extension. The tools are preferably' of the type having a grinding diamond fixed at their working ends.

The 'gauge gripping elements 62 andE'i-i pass through and are held respectively to thearm extensions 54a and 55a, the element 63 being'rigidly held to the'extension 55a, and the element E52 being held to extension 2a for upward yielding against spring resistance. Each gauge gripping element extends vertically through the associated arm extension with the adjacent ends-of the two elements directly opposed for gripping "a- 'ga'uge therebetween. Preferably the adjacent engaging anvil faces of the snap or like gauge 1 extending horizontally, i. e. transversely of the axis-of oscillation'of the supported gauge. The gauge grippers are spaced farther apart than the tools-6|. The gauge gripping element 63 is held in 'extension 55a',"asby being threaded and 1 being screwed through a vertical threaded 'bore in said extension. The gauge gripping element 62 is preferably a spring-pressed plunger which is vertically slidable through extension Sea, is urged downward'by a spring 64, and has a finger knob 65'at its upper end which limits spring-urged movement of said element. To prevent possible accidental swinging of a frictionally gripped gauge about the gripping elements as pivots, suitable means, such as .the spring clip 66, may be fixed to the sleeve 38 to engage the main body part of the gauge,as shown, to prevent any such accidental swinging of the gripped gauge during finishi-ng of its work-contacting or anvil faces. v

Thearrangement by which the finishing wheels arespaced radially equal distancesfrorn an axis aboutwhichthe wheel dressing tools and the gauge are indexed from wheel to :Wheel and are The wheels may be, andpreferably are, of large radius, as shown, thus reducing the extent of so: thatall ofthese shafts areparallel to the vertical axis about which the gauge is oscillated relatively to each wheel and about which the about which the gauge is movable and the face portions F of'the three wheels lie in a single plane normal'to said axis and parallel to the plane in which the face portions F lie. This truing up of" the wheel face portions is effected by adjusting the sleeve 3% on post 31 for grinding action of one of the wheel dressing tools on the surface '1? or F of the wheels. The hand Wheel 28 is then turnedito index" that tool for coaction with one of the'gauge finishing wheels, and is then oscillated to traverse said one of the tools back and forth over the selected wheel face in "an are which causes the tool to wipe over the selected annular wheel face For F twice on each stroke of oscillation of the tool, the extensible tool-supporting arms being so adjusted that the arcuate path of movement of the opposed tools will cross the annular face 1'" or F of any selected one of the wheels twice between the axis of tool oscillation and a circle concentric with said axis and passing through the axes of rotation of the wheels. After dressing the corresponding face of each of the three wheels, the sleeve is adjusted for dressing of the otherface of each Wheel by the other-wheel dressing tool, and said other wheel faces are then dressed or trued up seriaturn in th same manner asthe first mentioned Wheel faces, thus conditioning the apparatus for finis'ning of the anvil faces of the gauge by the wheels with great exactitude to planar form with the opposed finished planar faces parallel to each other. The tools also maybe used tore-dress the fwh eels as required when'they become worn or surface-clogged in use.

The gauge to be finished ismounted in the conditioned apparatus by clamping the body portion of the gauge .6! between the two opposed gauge grippers with the unfinished work-contacting anvil faces 81a and 51b of the gauge substantially parallel to the planes of the face porsockets to receive tightly the'frusto-conical ends 'wearj'of the wheels per gauge finished by the apparatus The wheel is formed of any suitable material adapting it for rough grinding, wheel 24 is formed ofany suitablematerialadapting it for fine grind- I ing, and wheel 25 is formed of any suitab1e.ma-;

terial adapting it for lapping or polishing. "Many such materials are well known.

The mode of operation o'f the above described preferred form of giaugefinishing apparatus will now be described, and this description also will, 7

in conjunction with, the foregoing description of the apparatus, make clear in detail the improved ofthe gripping elements 62 and 63, and, to further prevent possible turning of the 'gripped work-contactingor anvilface or faces 61a of the gauge by the face F of the rough grinding wheel,

then by'face Fof the fine grinding wheel, and

finally by face F* of the polishing or lapping {wheel The sleeve 'is thenadjusted for finish. ingthe other work-contacting or anvil face or faces 51b of the gauge by the other faceF' of each wheelbeginning with the rough grinding wheel and ending with the'polishingor lapping wheel. The hand wheel 28 is turned to index the.

gauge from wheel to wheel and is oscillated'to sweep the gauge anvil faces back and fort-h-frela- 'tively to each wheel to finish the gauge races-in the manner above described in connection, with the wheel dressing operation of the wheel dressing tools.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for grinding first one and then the other of two opposed work-contact faces of a snap or like gauge to bring said faces into parallelism, comprising a frame, a grinding wheel mounted in the frame for rotation about a fixed axis and held against axial movement, said wheel having at opposite sides thereof two parallel grinding faces lying in planes normal to the wheel axis and spaced apart a lesser distance than th work-contact faces of a gauge to be ground, means for rotating the grinding wheel, a conversely turnable support held to the frame against axial movement and for turning of the support about a fixed axis which is parallel to the wheel axis, and means to hold a gauge to the support for movement of the gauge past said wheel with its work-contact faces straddling the wheel between the wheel and support axes, said means being mounted on the support to turn therewith and for adjustment of said means axially of the support for grinding of only one of said gauge faces at a time, and said support being conversely turnable to carry a gauge held by said means entirely clear of the wheel in both directions of turning of the support.

2. An apparatus for grinding first one and then the other of two opposed work-contact faces of a snap or like gauge to bring said faces into parallelism, comprising a grinding wheel, wheel mounting means journaling said wheel for rotation about a fixed axis and holding said wheel against axial movement, said wheel havin two parallel annular side grinding surfaces disposed in planes normal to the wheel axis and spaced apart a lesser distance than the work-contact faces of a gauge to be ground, means for rotating said wheel, a rotative support extending past the periphery of the wheel, mounting means engaged with said support at opposite sides of the plane of the wheel to hold said support against axial movement and to journal said support for free rotation relatively to said wheel about a fixed axis which is parallel to the wheel axis, a slide held to said support to turn therewith and also for adjustment relatively thereto in a fixed path normal to the planes of the grinding surfaces of the wheel and parallel to the axes of rotation of the wheel and support, means carried by said slide for fixedly holding a gauge to the slide to turn with said support and pass the wheel with opposed work-contact faces of the gauge positioned to pass at opposite faces of the wheel in a path extending between the slide and the wheel mounting means, means to releasably hold the slide at will in selectively adjusted positions on the support in each of which a different grinding surface of the wheel is effective on a different work-contact face of a held gauge as the gauge is carried past the wheel, and a handle ing said wheel on the frame for rotation about a fixed upstanding axis and for holding the wheel against axial movement, said wheel having opposite and parallel grinding side faces spaced apart a lesser distance than the work-contact faces of the gauge to be ground, means for rotating said wheel, a conversely turnable support, means mounting the support on the frame for rotation about a, fixed upstanding axis which is parallel to that of the wheel and for holding said support against axial movement, a handle fixed to the support for manual turning of the support at will in each direction about its axis, a slide mounted on the support to turn therewith and for up and down adjustment. thereon parallel to said wheel and support axes, said slide having extending laterally therefrom two super- Posed arms carrying superposed gauge gripping devices adapted to grip therebetween a gauge to be ground, means to hold said slide adjusted on the support at different levels in each of which said gripping devices are movable past the wheel with one device passing below and the other above the wheel, said devices being adapted to grip a gauge therebetween to pass the wheel and the wheel mounting means with the Work-contact faces of the gauge disposed at opposite faces of the wheel, and means on said slide between said arms to prevent turning of a gauge between said gripping devices.

4. A grinding apparatus, as claimed in claim 3, wherein each of said arms carries-a dressing element for the grinding wheel, said elements being superposed and spaced apart a distance greater than the spacing between the grinding faces of the wheel with their opposed wheel dressing ends disposed at levels intermediate the levels of the adjacent ends of said gauge gripping devices.

5. An apparatus for grindin first one and then the other of two opposed work-contact faces of a snap or like gauge to produce on the gauge two parallel and planar work-contact faces, comprising a frame, a grinding wheel mounted on the frame for rotation about a fixed upstanding axis and having upwardly facing and downwardly facing parallel and planar grinding side surfaces spaced apart a lesser distance than the workcontact faces of a gauge to be ground, means for rotatin the grinding wheel, an upstanding and conversely turnable support held to the frame above and below the plane of said wheel against axial movement and for turning of the support about a fixed axis parallel to that of the wheel, a gauge-holding device adjustable up and down on said support and mounted on the support to turn therewith for carryin a held gauge past the wheel with the work-contact faces of the gauge arranged to pass the wheel between the axis and perimter of the wheel, and means carried by said support and connected with said gauge-holding device for effecting both coarse and micrometric up and down adjustments of said device relatively to said support. f

6. A grinding apparatus, as claimed in claim 5, wherein the means for adjusting the gaugeholding device up and down on the support comprises a rack fixedly held to and extending longitudinally of the support, a pinion meshing with said rack and journaled on the gauge-holding device, a handle fixedly connected with the pinion for turning said pinion to effect coarse adjustments of the gauge-holding device, means slidable up and down on the support and releasably lockable thereto, and a micrometrically adjustable connection between the. last-mentioned means andsaid gauge-holding device for effectrelatively to said means and support while said.

means is locked to the support.

'7. A grinding apparatus, as claimed in claim 5, wherein the support comprises an upstanding crank shaft journaledat its upper and lower ends in the frame and having an elongate wrist extending past the wheel periphery, wherein the gauge-holding. device has a sleeve portion embracing and slidably adjustable up and down on the wrist of said crank shaft, and wherein a handle is fixed to said crank shaft adjacent one end of the shaft for manual turning and oscillation of said shaft at will.

8. An apparatus for grinding first one and the the other of two opposed work-contact faces of a snap or like gauge to provide parallel and planar work-contacting gauge faces, comprising a frame,'

three grinding wheels mounted in the frame against axial movement and for rotation about parallel fixed axes with the wheels lying in a common plane and spaced around and radially equidistant from a common center, each wheel having two oppositely directed grinding side surfaces disposed in parallel planes normal to the wheel axes and spaced apart a lesser distance than the work-contact faces of a gauge to be ground, said wheels respectively being coarse grinding, fine,

grinding and lapping wheels, means for rotating the wheels, and gauge indexing and oscillating means mounted in said frame for manual turning movements thereof at will about said common center to index a held gauge from wheel to wheel and to oscillate the gauge at each wheel with the gauge held to said means for protrusion of the wheels edgewise one ata time between the work-.;

contact faces of the gauge, said gauge indexing and oscillating means including provisions for adjusting a held gauge relatively to said wheels in a path normal to the planes of the grinding surfaces of the wheels and parallel to the wheel axes. 9. A grinding apparatus, as claimed in clai 8, wherein the gauge indexing and oscillating means comprises a support held to the frame against axial movement and journaled in the frame at opposite sides of the plane of the grinding wheels for oscillation and rotation of said support about said common center, a gauge-holding device mounted on said support to rotate and oscillate therewith and for adjustment of said device axially of said support, and means carried by the support and connected with said device for selectively adjusting said device longitudinally of the axis of the support in a path normal to the plane of said wheels.

10. An apparatus for grinding in succession two opposed work-contact faces of a snap or like gauge, comprising a frame, gauge carrying means mounted in the frame for rotation and oscillation of said means at will about a fixed axis to index to different grinding stations and to oscillate at each grinding station a carried gauge 10 V i with the opposed work-contact faces of the held gauge spaced longitudinally of said axis and the open side of the gauge farthest from said axis, a

- set of grinding wheels having different grinding characteristics and spaced around said fixed axis with the wheels lying in a common plane normal to said axis, each wheel having two oppositely directed grinding side faces disposed in parallel planes normal to the wheel axis and spaced apart longitudinally of the wheel axis a distance less than the work-contact faces ofa gauge to be ground, means mounting said wheels in the frame for rotation about fixed axes parallel to the "axis of the gauge carrying means with the peripheries of the wheels spaced from the axis of the gauge carrying means for successive straddling of the wheels by a carried gauge as the gauge is indexed from wheel to wheel, and means for rotatively driving said wheels, said gauge carrying means including means for selectively adjusting a carried gauge relatively to and in a path normal to the plane of the grinding wheels,

11. A grinding apparatus for acting upon first one and then the other of two opposed work-contact faces of a snap gauge to bring said gauge faces to parallel and planar condition, comprising a frame, a grinding wheel, means mountin the wheel in the frame against axial movement and for rotation of the wheel about a fixed axis, means for rotatively driving the wheel, said wheel having two oppositely facing annular grinding V the work-contact faces of a gauge to be ground and disposed in parallel planes normal to the Wheel axis with the inner and outer edges of said surfaces clear of the wheel mounting means, a snap gaugeholder mounted in the frame for manual oscillation at will about a fixed axis parallel to the wheel axis to carry the Work-contact faces of a held gauge twice entirely across the grinding surfaces of the wheel at each stroke of oscillation of the holder, said holder being mounted in the frame for selective adjustment thereof in a path normal to the planes of the grinding surfaces of the wheel for grinding of one contact face of the gauge at a time and for action of each said wheel surface on a different gauge face, and means for so adjusting said holder.

12. A grinding apparatus, as claimed in claim 11, wherein three wheels of the specified form and mounting are provided with said wheels spaced around and equidistant from the axis of oscillation of the gauge holder and all lying in a common plane, one of said wheels having coarse grinding surfaces, another having finer grinding surfaces, and the third having lapping surfaces, wherein means are provided for rotating said wheels, and wherein the gauge holder is manually turnable'at will about its axis of oscillation to index a held gauge from wheel to wheel and also to oscillate a held gauge at each wheel.

LINO SCUSA. 

